I Am Thankful For

I am thankful for Devin O'banion from our english class. Devin's super nice and it always brightens my day when i see him in the hallway or division. He contributes very insightful and thoughtful comments to our discussions quite often, with just a taste of humor to keep it interesting. He gave out mini donuts the other day which should hint at how nice and generous he is, which were delightfully rich and soft i might add. He's one of the best dressers i know hands down, plus easy on the eyes which is great cause i have a desk facing his. We've known each other for a while now and we have two other classes together besides english, division (which some might not consider a class) and gym plus we do soccer together, so i think its safe to say we'll enjoy many shenanigans together over the course of high school and this year. So Happy Thanksgiving!

I Celebrate Myself

Every person has their own, unique outlook on life; i believe view varies from person to person in at least one way, small or large, which is ultimately what makes an individual. I personally try to have an optimistic view on life. I don't necessarily have a specific philosophy, but i do think people should do what they can to make themselves, and the people they love, as happy as possible. If someones lives there life doing something they hate, they're unhappy and have not taken advantage of what life has to offer. Therefore i think its important for people to do what they love, whether it be teaching or exploring natural beauty, like we saw in "Into the Wild". This doesn't mean do whatever you want, as some rash decisions can severely, emotionally damage those around you such as your family (unless you truly believe it is justified). Loved ones such as family are important as they're emotional state significantly affects you, and it is important to do what you can to make them happy as well. An ambitious person might have to work harder to attain the same level of happiness as someone less ambitious, which is good as it contributes more to other people usually. But if someone is happy doing less, and finds beauty in other things, it usually means they can live happy more easily.

Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is regarded as one of the most significant, influential and intriguing authors of all time. It's safe to say he's a good writer, but there are plenty of good writers that don't even compare to Poe; so what is it that makes his writing so strikingly unique. Aside from his exceptional writing talent, Poe worked using true inspiration, a factor that many authors simply dont have. Within three years of Poes birth in 1809 both of his parents died and he was adopted by foster parents who attempted to force him into the tobacco business, instead of pursuing his dream of being a writer. He was mistreated for most of his life growing up, and his foster parents died when he was still young and struggling to publish, leaving him nothing. Poes first love married another man, and his wife of 2 years died of tuberculosis, the disease that had already claimed his mother, foster mother and brother. Armed with such dark experiences Poe became a revolutionary gothic writer. I believe his success stems from the horrors throughout his life, and his incredible ability to express his emotions in the form of his written works, instilling fear and dread in the reader. In Poes "the raven" he creates a mysterious and frightening aura as he touches on death and the supernatural. Few authors are able to create such a legitimately eerie aura, which is what makes Poe so great, and a pioneer of gothic style writing.

What Is An American?

I am not in a position to discuss what defines someone as an American, as I don't consider myself to be one. Having moved here from Canada 4 years ago I still don't believe i'm in a position to call myself an American; so if someone were to ask me "what am I", in any connotation, I couldn't answer ,"An American" (as i have not yet gotten a citizenship or really think of myself as an American). Having said that i think the right to call yourself an American, like any third world country, stems from your allegiance to the country, and perhaps involved practice of its political/social habits and agenda. A citizenship doesn't account for a lack of involvement with the country you live in, and to truly be able to call yourself an American i think you must show some sort of contribution to the country, and the society you live in. An American, in their daily life, must make an acknowledgement to the rules and morals the country was built on. He/She shouldn't take for granted the abundant rights American forefathers fought to instill, and make sure others are not oppressed in any way. An American should appreciate the exceptional diversity and opportunity that is America, and use it to their advantage to further the growth of the country as a whole through study and profession. Someone who has been living here their whole life may not identify themselves as an American, yet someone who has moved here only a few years ago may consider themselves an active member of the country, and i believe they have a right to. It ultimately is a state of mind that is important in being an American.

The Modern Puritan

In todays society there are many social inclinations, in response to socially unacceptable acts, that i believe are similar to the punishment that would be given in a Puritan society. An example that comes to mind is the tendency to shun someone who has committed a crime (and released back into the community). This sort of punishment isn't enforced by federal law, but neighborhoods of people tend to ostracize someone if they see them as a threat or wrong doer. In the scarlet letter Hester is sentenced to wear the letter A on her chest as punishment for adultery, therefore removing her from her position as an accepted part of the puritan community and making her unable to lead a normal life in that town. We see this today to a lesser extent. When a sex offender is convicted they are registered and everyone with access to a computer can see what they did and when they did it. Although the convict is not forced to publicly showcase what they did at every moment the neighborhood is usually alerted and in most cases the convict is shunned and perhaps protested to a point where they have to leave their neghborhood. The 'crime' of adultery was considered a very serious offense in a Puritan society, and today an adulterer is, by nature, shunned by people around him/her such as family and friends, as they have indeed sinned. In this way puritan morals have been adapted into society, subconsciously, targeting criminals and unethical people as punishment for their acts, so others will not repeat them, and to better the community as a whole.

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge

When we are first introduced to John Proctor he is in a position of a sinful man, having had an affair with Abigail who still wishes to win him over, stealing him from his wife. In this scene we are shown John's morality; despite the readers knowledge of his sin he appears just due to his obvious remorse, and throughout the rest of the play he struggles emotionally to cope with his guilt, his sin drained his self-respect. Despite his monetary lapse in judgement John Proctor seems to be a stand up guy living what many would say was the ideal Puritan lifestyle, with a wife, sons and land. He is obviously respected throughout Salem, and his true character is shown in the third act when his wife is accused of being of a witch. He goes to the court with the strong notion of resolving the injustice that is sweeping over Salem and the trials. He speaks to the court about Abigail's testimony that indeed no witchcraft took place in the forrest, Marry Warrens testimony, and the admission of his affair with Abigail therefore discrediting her reputation in the town. Although he is not able to resolve the accusations, and does little to ease the chaos, he does make up for his sin with abigail by admitting it and fighting the false accusations of the court. John finds out his wife is pregnant and therefore momentarily safe, yet even then he doesn't cease to contest the obvious injustice. He has reached almost complete redemption through his acts in scenes 3 and 4 and by the end of the book i believe he has earned his self-respect back in its entirety. He is given the option to admit his alliance with the devil in order to save his life, yet refuses after some thought, this lie would make all his work irrelevant, destroying his name and soul. I believe this valiant act propels him into the classification of a hero, especially within Salem and the play, he dies with his goodness and honor.

Arrivals... There Goes the Neighborhood

There are many culture clashes that occur in society, both currently and throughout history (usually triggered by an arrival of someone or a group of people). When America was discovered by the europeans, and massive amounts of people immigrated there, there was a significant, destructive cultural clash between the Native American and European peoples. This is an extreme case, the two peoples differences in culture and lifestyle were too great for them to co-exist peacefully. The europeans changed the environment in a way that drastically affected the Native American lifestyle, as they had settled there long before the europeans and adapted to living, and using the land, in a certain way. Although clashes between the Europeans and Native Americans were practically unavoidable, the Europeans went about their settlement and interactions with the Native Americans with unnecessary intolerance, and displayed obvious bias due to factors i believe relatively insignificant. The Europeans, arriving from a completely different world, thought themselves racially superior to the Native Americans since they had 'evolved' from where the Native Americans were culturally. The Europeans prejudice was a result of their ability to read and write, physical appearance, and technology. Despite the Native Americans initial hospitality the Europeans made no effort to live peacefully and the Native Americans were forced to hopelessly retaliate (although new diseases killed a significant portion of the Native Americans, so there was already little hope.) This is an extreme example of a cultural clash yet depicts the occurrence well. I believe a clash occurs usually when a certain group thinks themselves superior to another that they have encountered, and does not make an effort to live peacefully in a society with them; this can lead to extreme and avoidable violence. Although cultural clashes do occur today they usually are of a lesser degree, fortunately modern society seems to have become more tolerant.